hit or miss please send to us. follow us on twitter at jer at fnc. thanks to my panel. i'm paul gigot. we hope to see you right here next week. >> on fox news watch. >> big one night only vp debate takes the spotlight as the candidates take on the tough issues. >> we made sure we cut taxes to the middle-class. >> shouldn't we have marines guarding benghazi, a place we knew there was al-qaeda cell. >> jon: each doing his best against the competition. >> that is bunch of marlarkey. >> i think the vice president knows the words that come out of

your mouth sometimes don't come out the right way. >> are you say governor romney lied? >> i think he was dishonest. >> jon: and following failed debate performance, obama campaign revs up their spin in machine. >> how they can justify this video caused this attack. it was a terrorist attack. >> jon: congress investigates the terrorist attack in benghazi getting details. are the media interested now? candidates' wives working hard for media attention. are they getting fair treatment? and what does this photo tell us about media bias? on the panel this week, judy miller, cal thomas, jing pinkerton and fox news political analyst juan williams. i'm jon scott. fox news watch is on right now.

>> jon: big event thursday night a one night only showdown between the candidates for vice president. it was highly anticipated by the political press. first question out the gate was the controversy surrounding terrorist attacks. >> this benghazi issue would be tragedy in and of itself but unfortunately it's indicative of a broader problem, what we are watching on our tv screens the unraveling of the obama foreign policy which is making it more chaotic and us less safe. >> we did not know they wanted more security. by the way, at the time we were told exactly, said exactly what the intelligence community told us they knew. that was the assessment. as the intelligence changed

their view, we made it clear they changed their view. that is why i said we will get to the bottom of this. >> jon: well, considering the lack of media attention that the embassy attack generally got, we talked about on this program before, were you surprised that was the first question? >> i was surprised. then i thought, gee, this will be a pretty good debate and case of moderating by martha but she failed to make that point they knew that night september 11th it was a terrorist attack, not a mob. it was one thing to ask, the day before, more vice president we saw that the state department was getting realtime video feeds. she let biden getting away, intelligence community told us that. with no pressing follow-up whatsoever. >> jon: one wonders how many votes the obama-biden will get.

>> and the state department was also thrown under the bus. it was interesting biden used we. who exactly is we did not know this was going on because the state department, according to the thursday hearing on capitol hill. they knew. they had patrick kennedy, under secretary of management, we turned down their request for additional security. what is he talking about? >> jon: where is the media on these questions. juan, you did some profound questions about the safety of our facility? >> let me say i profoundly disagreed. the fact is what we know is that the director of national intelligence, more james clapper has said that was assessment that was given at the time. patrick kennedy at the hearing said that was assessment at the time. we know this. not only that david petraeus went before a committee and said the very same thing. you know, in terms of this

question, was surprised it was the first question. i was surprised a little bit by martha's style. it struck me as more of an interview than a debate. it was a reaction what happened to jim lehrer last night because i think he or she was trying to assert herself more. >> jon: we're going to talk more a little later about the libya situation. let's focus bigger picture on the debate also. it was pretty clear that president obama lost the first debate to mitt romney. how did vice president biden do? >> frankly, i thought if he had handled sarah palin four years ago he would have been called a stalker and all kinds of other things. he was rude, as my mother used to say. he interrupted over and over again by one count, over 80 times. he even martha interrupted paul ryan on several occasions. i just thought it was the worst

examples of personal misbehavior i have ever seen. it was disgusting. >> the other fact we're talking about smirks and smiles just tells us that joe biden won that debate. that is what it has come down to. i went to the spin room -- where was i -- in danville, kentucky. back here the whole thing prompted by anheuser-busch. you could tell right away and republicans were talking about the smirks the smiles. making jokes about this guy and his teeth. >> you know, when somebody is ready to make a point you interrupt them to try to throw them off and try to get the audience not to listen what was being said. >> they called it the heckler's defense, that is what biden was doing. biden was heckling ryan.

>> you can't interrupt more pinkerton. now you are smiling at him. >> and sponsored by anheuser-busch. >> and let's be clear about this raditz was playing with the biden team. she was letting biden interrupt ryan and she was interrupting herself. listen, martha if you are going to play on biden's team you can't be the moderator. you can't be two on one. >> jon: we'll focus her on the next block. but joe biden with 36 years in the senate was built up as the experienced debater. that was the mean going into this into the press. what about ryan? how was he cast? >> i think each side is happy with the outcome because each side felt their guy did pretty

well. i think ryan demonstrated an amazing ability to field a huge number of varying questions. he is not a foreign policy expert yet he raised enormously important questions about the obama foreign policy. he surprised a lot of people. so apart from the concentration on biden's smirk or grin, as they said, biden tooth in his choice but i think ryan did surprise people. >> i think the expectation gsz with a low for joe biden. there were a few polls done, people didn't expect much of him and his favorability was lower than paul ryan's. what this was about was an introduction to paul rye to the american people. people got a look at i am and that is why republicans are pleased. paul ryan came across as capable young man. i don't think he commanded the

presence joe biden did especially after last week, he didn't bring up fire in the fight. joe biden brought up fire in the fight. >> it is interesting how the media treated us before the denver debate which everybody acknowledges president obama lost. the vice president debate nobody paid any attention. all of a sudden the media ratcheted up it was big stuff. >> if biden had lost that kentucky debate the momentum that romney picked up would have been overwhelming. as it stands, both sides feels like, you know what, it will soon be forgotten. let's move on. >> jon: after the break, moderator effect in these debates. ♪

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[ laughter ] but. >> but i think people would be better served if we don't keep interrupting each other. >> then don't take four over four minutes then. >> the debate was moderated by martha raddatz. vice president was under a lot of pressure to sort of amp up his performance after the president's debacle in denver. how was martha? >> she was not jim lehrer. she was going to be active. she was going to push back and she did with ryan. she did that much less with oeb -- biden -- sorry. she is foreign policy person. when biden changed the definition of our goals in afghanistan, from not only killing al-qaeda but making sure that al-qaeda did not come back, biden conveniently dropped the

second part. she did not go back to him and say what about preventing a return of the terrible -- she did not. >> she and biden said what they wanted to do is prepare the afghans to protect themselves. >> that was the mean but it conflicts with the green on blue killings. >> that is good point. >> she knew that. >> problem with moderator's standpoint. jim lehrer let them engage each other. they changed the rules this time. frankly they haven't adequately explained them. martha started out we need two minutes for that. that was obliterated from the start. biden complaining about ryan talking too much. >> in fact the vice president got more than a minute more time. >> raddatz was one goal is not

to be leher, they couldn't have that and she had to put the finger on the scale. >> therefore, she got benefit, raddatz, she ought to be debates and award msm delivers to you. >> i thought leher was potted plant. i think he got run over at times. no matter who you thought benefit from it. i thought romney was going right over his head. i thought martha was reacting. she was much more structured. where i would falter, it struck me as she was conducting an interview at the table rather than moderating a debate where you give both sides equal opportunity. the idea that she favored vice president biden. because at one point, i talked to soldiers in the field that

tell me the administration to pull out troops put them in greater peril. biden had to respond to that instead of respond to go ryan. >> he interrupted over 80 times. she was not moderating biden's behavior. >> i don't have the count with me. as someone sitting there watching, my impression when she would interrupt paul ryan and demanding specifics on the she was pressing out of character for a good and impartial moderator. but i saw her do the same thing on the afghan issue. >> she didn't press on the libya stuff. >> jon: you criticized for not following up. do you think she was too involved in the debate? >> it's a stylist i liked her overall performance.

it's more assertive reporter and asking them getting them to deal with issues they didn't want to deal with. ryan hates those specifics. she kept trying to nail him down. compared to jim lehrer, i realize there a different philosophical approach. i preferred and may say more about me than about her or jim lehrer. >> two follow-up questions that i think are fundamental. one was on the contention that a peaceful palestinian state living next to israel is the solution to all problems in the middle east. that should have been followed up. that is not what saying. the other, both men being catholics on abortion question. biden did the cafeteria theology i accept my church's teaching but social justice and he wants to do something about that trillions of dollars in debt. those could have been follow-up questions and they were not.

>> jon: all right. >> i liked her. >> i liked her, too. >> i was very moved by each of their answers to that question which i didn't expect coming from. >> i thought that was ryan's best answer when he spoke about the child and notion the nickname bean yes, i thought was very effect i. when joe biden came back and said he lost his wife and child. he separates it out not to impose his views on women, i thought it was effective. i thought it was a great question. let me say she could have slammed him for his own position i'm talking about representative ryan for his positions and what he voted for in congress the whole idea that so controversial in todd aiken ring. >> jon: next week crowley and bob schieffer follows up.

the president a mitt romney will meet for the second time. you can wam it right here. next on news watch the liberal spin cycle to defend the president. >> are you saying that governor romney lied? >> plenty of people pointed out what a liar mitt romney is. >> we didn't expect an aggressively dishonest debater. >> following the president's poor performance in the first debate the obama campaign is playing defense and the media are playing along. what is in store for next week's debate? answers is next on news watch. of any small business crit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, everday! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!!

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>> are you saying that governor romney lied or dishonest?

>> i think he was dishonest. >> plenty of people have pointed out what a liar mitt romney is and he was last night. if he was talking, if he was speaking he was lying. >> i think that we expected an aggressive debater to show up last night on the debated stage with barack obama. we didn't expect an aggressively dishonest debater. that is what we got. >> we saw the governor romney they had known and problem in the past they haven't seen that person. he finally emerged during the debate. >> you say he lied through his teeth in the republican primaries when he was going to cut taxes for wealthy people. >> he is the sketch guy and transformed himself. we have to wonder which mitt is going to show up. if you layout lie after lie about your own plan as well as what the president has been talking about, of course you can look good.

>> democrat and obama obama spin there. mitt romney's gain in the polls following a strong showing. there seem to be something of a theme there, jim. i heard the word liar time and time again. is that what happens what happens? >> it's like a sports game. we were robbed. those were democratic partisans doing the talking. i think the story of that few days before the biden debate was the fuss in the media. andy sullivan was practically on the ledge looking down. jon stewart said obama doesn't want to win. and nora at media, she called it the media has stopped filling in the blank. obama campaign spinners can go up there and call romney a liar. media at least for that period before biden rallied them were

saying, look, you are on your own pal. >> jon: but when an old hand like bob here is says, are you saying -- bob schieffer says isn't that kind a gift or punt this? >> you can assume he was so stunned by what he heard axelrod say. for he for a moment didn't know how he would follow up. what we're really seeing is two narratives here. one, we're going to go after them by demeaning their candidate which worked for them earlier on or so they thought. or they are stuck with the a lot of americans took a look at romney and obama. he is an interesting moderate guy. they had to the shift. >> why wasn't it, juan, if there were so many romney untruths in

the first debate, why was the first big ad in the campaign all about big bird? >> i don't think it was the first, but it was the big. it was clearly a matter of priorities and appealing to the women voters who moved away from the. you've got something. >> i think it seems so petty. >> no, no. you are talking about a presidential race that will be decided that will be decided by a white suburban women. when you show her big bird, big bird has been attacked by the other guy. she has a reaction. let me speak to the larger point. when you look at what was going on here, you see that the left was absolutely at the heart of the attacks on obama and saying that obama lost that debate. they wanted a cage fight. they wanted him angry. that is why you saw vice president biden with the

aggression. i think jim is on to something here. the way people grade debates has radically changed because of twitter and because of blogging. i don't think american media is not positioned well. they say john is wearing a purple it shirt. no, john is wearing a purple shirt. well, can't say that. i tell you what. it was kind of purple. i think they couldn't deal with the fact that romney wants to to lower tax rates on the rich. >> let's get back to the leher thing before you complement me on my shirt. for one politician to call another politician a liar. would it be like madonna considering the loss of virtue in america. nobody expects politicians to tell the truth. dan had a great column this, "l" word, one being liar, when you

use that word you better have some substance behind it or it loses its power. i think it's lost it's power. >> "time magazine" comes out with a cover on facts. one side is telling a lie. another side might be telling a lie -- it wasn't that case at all. >> the opposition made sure the blogger people say no matter no matter what. but they all agree they made a big deal of big bird. jon stewart made fun. let's hope for the sake of america and suburban housewife is smarter than big bird is the issue in the election. ryan did a good job to bring it up. >> he didn't say i wanted to kill big bird, but does big bird require federal tax money. the finger pointing and blame

game surrounding the deadly terror attacks in libya. >> security in benghazi was a struggle throughout my time there. >> the damaging details about the terror attack in libya are slowly leaking out leading to more questions about what the state department officials knew and when they knew it. why are the media still ignoring the story instead of pushing for answers? that is next. my doctor told me calcium is efficiently absorbed in small continuous amounts. citracal slow release continuously releases calcium plus d with efficient absorption in one daily dose. citracal slow release.

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hello, i'm nefl nefl. they were holding separate events in the battleground state of ohio. president obama boarded air force one bound for virginia today. he will hunker down to prepare for the second presidential debate in new york. fox news is the only places to watch it. don't miss it tuesday 9:00 p.m.

eastern time. a search for a girl in colorado. they are identifying a body in a denver park saying it is fifth grader jessica ridge way. she vanished on her way to school more than week ago. they are urge anyone with information to come forward. i'm arthel nevil. i'll see you about 24 minutes. have a good afternoon. >> it was on the anniversary the 9/11 terror attack here in our country that terrorists attacked the u.s. consulate in benghazi libya, killing our ambassador and three other americans. details about the attack, when had did they know it and could have been prevented are questions the media should be getting answers to. here is brief time line.

>> what does it tell tell you about obama administration, did they mess up in any way? >> what we have seen is unrest around the region in response to a video that many muslims find offensive. >> best assessment we have today is that in fact this was not a preplanned, premeditated attack. >> ambassador rice in her comments on every network over the weekend was very clear, very precise about what our initial assessment of what happened is. >> i'm simply saying based on the information we initially had available and had available, we do not have any indication at this point of premeditation or preplanned attack. >> certainly on that question, i would say yes. they were killed in the course of a terrorist attack on our embassy. >> we also reported that the

ambassador specifically a rise in extremism and said he was on al-qaeda hit list. the information for that report was carolly vetted. some was a personal journal of ambassador stevens. we came through our journal upon our reporting. >> what happened in benghazi was a terrorist attack. >> there is no doubt that the kind of weapons that were used, the ongoing assault that it wasn't just a mob action. we don't have all the information yet. >> are you saying on september 12th high called it terrorism. he sedative terror. why were you seven days after we don't know if it is terrorism. >> i never said we don't know if it is terrorism. >> it was apparent to me that we were the last flag flying in benghazi. we were the last thing on their target listed. >> i said we would refocus on the people that attacked us on

9/11 and today al-qaeda is out and osama bin laden is no more. >> so how has the media treated this terrible tragedy and the investigation or the things we have learned about it since then? judy i know you shall fire on this particular topic? >> i am furious about the lack of follow-up by the media. the lack of an answer to questions should have been raised from the very beginning such as, there were two attacks in benghazi four hours apart. yet the administration says nothing could have been done if a second group of sst military people who had been deployed in libya until august had been extended. if they had extended the tour there they could not have

helped. of course they could have helped. there was an attack on consulate and second attack four hours later on the annex which as far as we know was c.i.a. facility. why aren't people asking about the security arrangements about what the white house knew, when it knew it, about all the contradictory statements that have come out of this administration. where are the media? >> jon: one of the most interesting points i've seen made is wednesday the 10th when all this information was coming out. washington front page story was about the effect on secretary of state hillary clinton's legacy. >> right. some have argued the media are more worried about her well-being rather than what actually happened. the fact that the 25th of september, two weeks after the attack, president goes on view, it wasn't just a mob action. it might have been terrorism.

we now no better. hearings this week were eye-opening. yet the media chose to kept the eyes closed. margaret from "new york times," why didn't make the story of the "new york times"? it wouldn't have made the obama administration look bad. if the bush administration, like eric nordstrom he would have been on every talk show being interviewed. instead you have to go to power line and national review and jennifer rubin to find out what he had to say. >> jon: do you agree with that? if our diplomats had been killed overseas it would have been leading the news for weeks? >> i think it's a news story and i think it was a news story. the question is, why wasn't it on the front page of certain papers? it's all over the news. in fact it was the lead question at the vice presidential debate. what strikes me is that the

media is or are part of a political structure in the midst of a campaign. and the campaign for the romney team is very clear they see a vulnerability on obama's parted on foreign policy. they are using this story in particular and the media has to now decide what is the political attack, what it's at legitimate attack? >> if the obama campaign is trying to minimize the blow back from this, are the media helping them do this? >> duh -- yes, of course. let's give a shout out to laura, 60 minutes reporter, she had been assaulted horribly in egypt she might be in the minor leagues. she bravely spoke out and used the "l" word against the administration. slamming them for a major lie over a weakened taliban.

the president said we weakened the taliban. she says that is lie. >> this is what is going on, john. this is political argument about whether or not the administration wants to take credited having killed osama bin laden for decimating al-qaeda. no, this is evidence that al-qaeda is still power. >> the "l" word is libya, as matt pointed out from news busters, david axelrod when they interviewed him, they are not interested in the libya stuff. there is one question on the libya stuff. political structure, let's keep the election focused on the horse race. who is ahead and who is behind. >> jon: we'll talk more about foreign policy and which candidate's gets panned by the press.

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monday laying out foreign policy goals and challenging president obama's leadership in regards to the middle east. judy, how did the media react to the plan that he laid out in virginia? >> a lot of them why asking legitimate questions about where is the beef? what are the specifics? how do you inspire confidence in american leadership? how is your position exactly different from that as the president's with respect to iran which is the problem we have facing this country in terms of future military possible action. there is no there and we can't see seem to get the republicans to clarify and be specific about their platform. >> and near the end of the debate, martha begin to ask a serious question that hasn't fully been asked of any of the candidates or required them to answer. what is america's role in the world? j.f.k. said in his i null rag

address that we would bear any burden in the defense liberty. we can't afford that anymore. so the candidates ought to be asked, i hope bob schieffer will get to this, what is america's role in the world? can we be everything to everybody? i don't think they can. >> jon: obama campaign has made many times the point that osama bin laden is dead and that al-qaeda is ropes. it's pretty hard to believe, isn't it? >> no, it's obvious the heart of al-qaeda as we knew it is really on the ropes. we have new elements that spring up, that al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula and al-qaeda in africa and al-qaeda elements or off shoots that spring up in different places, muslim extremism is clearly a threat to our safety in united states. if you are talking about having

gone in to the mountains of afghanistan and pakistan to go after the people who attacked us on 9/11, we really have decimated those forces. >> jon: some would say, jim, that is what got us into a 9/11 situation in the first place by ignoring threats? >> i think what got us in 9/11 was cockpit doors that couldn't be sealed and poor security. it was much more, our inability to protect airports and pilots. i think we have made enormous successs in afghanistan. i think the story of the romney speech, as he moved to the middle and tried to win the general, it wasn't that different in the obama policy. the debate on thursday night, ryan and biden were hard to explain their differences on syria. however, romney has the advantage. he can point to the obama administration leg diplomats get

killed. he can say, look, what obama is doing schblt working very well. in terms of simply judging the incumbent whether successful or not, that is good thing for the challenger to say. >> jon: for instance in the denver debate when he said something about israel, one of our strongest allies in that part of the world. who would be stronger than israel? >> at the moment you have a problem for the republicans because on the ground, people will tell you that intelligence cooperation between israel and the united states is the strongest and best it's ever been. president has a different view from benjamin netanyahu in american security interests in the region and he doesn't think in stopping and being capable of getting a bomb is the standard he wants to adopt. romney is not saying anything any different. >> jon: next on news watch, which candidates better half is

getting better treatment from the press.

ann romney baking her signature welsh cake billed as a special co-host of that morning show. she got panned by many in the media. howard kurtz says it was adomination she was wloud to go on to be a special co-host. what do you think about that treatment? >> i mean you got to remember, ann romney assent when hillary rosen that took her to pre-eminence. >> you are telling me. [ laughter ] >> never worked a day in her

life. >> look she was perfectly pretty and nice. she overcame the snafu on the oven. she had a rocky period and she is doing well and climbing up in the polls. >> it takes me back to the 2000 campaign, in the interview where hillary clinton said, well, i could have been some kind of tammy we net baking cookies in t we have come a long way, baby. >> howard doesn't have a problem with george stephanopolous being the anchor of "good morning america". he is from the clinton era. >> it has to be said again and again to remind people about supposedly neutral anchors, former connections. i think i get very upset when i see these kinds of attacks on first ladies. vice presidents are fair game. first ladies unless they inject

themselves into politics and accuse the other side of lying which one first lady did this week, should not be attacked. >> i think that is an old view. the fact is they are giving speeches at convention. that is fairly new event. first lady is going to stand up for his character and credibility. now, they are out on the campaign trail. mrs. romney has ratcheted up. relationship to the media is what intrigues me. we understand that political to have ann romney or michelle obama on the show because it helps the campaign and they aren't going to reveal anything. yet the media goes right ahead and plays with the game. i think it's legit. >> but michelle obama goes on the view, nobody is complaining about that. >> right. there is a double standard. eric eric son he called it media

incest. he rat md off hundred examples of this. to compare to what you are seeing on tv. >> you mean the revolving door, all married to everybody. >> this is threat to media as an impartial, independent institution in our country. >> we left that a long time ago. >> don't you think we should say it. >> while juan and cal fight, next on news watch another ap photo controversy. oh...there you go. wooohooo....hahaahahaha! i'm gonna stand up to her! no you're not. i know. you know ronny folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico sure are happy. how happy are they jimmy? happier than a witch in a broom factory. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

>>. under the heading bay yased words, benjamin netanyahu was delivering his speech to the u.n. the image making it appear that he was giving a nazi salute. this week, another controversy caused by an ap photo. governor rom made a stop in fairfield, virginia taking time

to take photos with the kids who were surprised. here the photo they published to mark the event. republican presidential candidate bending over with a seemingly shocked school girl behind him. the caption read in part, romney posing about students. and to better explain what is going on. was this image newsworthy. did it fail the code of ethics to treat all subjects with respect and dignity. on that subject, remember this ap classic, g.o.p. vice presidential candidate sarah palin from 2008. she had this to say about ap photo selections. >> hell, yes, media bias and you think of mitt romney's photo is which is degrading. they are jerks for having run that with the caption. absolute jerks in biased and try